8 Years
8 years ago yesterday Matthew Shepard was beaten almost to the point of death and hung up on that fence in Laramie, Wyoming - bloody, broken, terrified, and alone. He clung to life for almost a week before he finally died. This is a repost of what I said on the subject in 2004:
Can't Cry Hard Enough
I was planning on writing a rather lengthy post today, but I have no energy to start one, let alone complete it. Today has hit me hard. It's been difficult trying to keep my emotions in check with everything that is going on, and on the top of it it is officially 6 years ago that Matthew Shepard died in that hospital room. The truth is he died on that fence six years and one week ago. I still cannot get my mind around these things and as a result I have frequently been in tears off and on all day.
I look at Calpernia's blog and think about our emails back and forth to one another and how far she's come in such a short time, and I'm in awe of her resilience, despite such tragedy. I emailed Gabi Clayton earlier today about her remarkable son Bill, I hope to hear from her soon.
Matthew, Barry Winchell, Brandon Teena, Gwen Araujo, Bill Clayton, Danny Overstreet, Billy Jack Gaither, JR Warren, Tyra Hunter, the list goes on and on and on.
Each one of these people is gone for senseless reasons.
Each one of these people could have been one of my friends or family members.
As far as I'm concerned, each one of them was.
Tags: calpernia, grief, hatecrime, matthew shepard
It was Matthew's funeral that began the funeral pickets and indeed the entire God Hates Fags movement, and consequently in response The Laramie Project.
The sum total of all of this is what drove me to write the post linked to below - if you haven't read it yet, please do so now. It's gotten several hundred comments and has been linked to countless times by people all over the world, which is all I ever hope to do with these kinds of posts - raise awareness and spark dialogue for change. When you go to work or school tomorrow, pick at least one person to discuss what happened 8 years ago. Find out what they think and tell them what you think. Get angry, mourn the loss, and if necessary think on these things if you live in the closet and consider coming out. National Coming Out Day is Wednesday, and there's never been a better time or better reasons than to make it your goal.
Just think about it - then DO SOMETHING.
God Hates Stupid Homophobes!
Another rant from your neighborhood angry_biscuit
click here
Can't Cry Hard Enough
I was planning on writing a rather lengthy post today, but I have no energy to start one, let alone complete it. Today has hit me hard. It's been difficult trying to keep my emotions in check with everything that is going on, and on the top of it it is officially 6 years ago that Matthew Shepard died in that hospital room. The truth is he died on that fence six years and one week ago. I still cannot get my mind around these things and as a result I have frequently been in tears off and on all day.
I look at Calpernia's blog and think about our emails back and forth to one another and how far she's come in such a short time, and I'm in awe of her resilience, despite such tragedy. I emailed Gabi Clayton earlier today about her remarkable son Bill, I hope to hear from her soon.
Matthew, Barry Winchell, Brandon Teena, Gwen Araujo, Bill Clayton, Danny Overstreet, Billy Jack Gaither, JR Warren, Tyra Hunter, the list goes on and on and on.
Each one of these people is gone for senseless reasons.
Each one of these people could have been one of my friends or family members.
As far as I'm concerned, each one of them was.
It was Matthew's funeral that began the funeral pickets and indeed the entire God Hates Fags movement, and consequently in response The Laramie Project.
The sum total of all of this is what drove me to write the post linked to below - if you haven't read it yet, please do so now. It's gotten several hundred comments and has been linked to countless times by people all over the world, which is all I ever hope to do with these kinds of posts - raise awareness and spark dialogue for change. When you go to work or school tomorrow, pick at least one person to discuss what happened 8 years ago. Find out what they think and tell them what you think. Get angry, mourn the loss, and if necessary think on these things if you live in the closet and consider coming out. National Coming Out Day is Wednesday, and there's never been a better time or better reasons than to make it your goal.
Just think about it - then DO SOMETHING.
God Hates Stupid Homophobes!
Another rant from your neighborhood angry_biscuit
click here